When Seasons Shift
by iliathewitch
Summary: Sesshomaru was barely one hundred the first time he saw her. It was out of the corner of his eye that he caught a glimpse of a young girl. As he ages so does she, out of the corner of his eye he sees her. Then one day she appears before him. Who is this girl and what does she represent for the cold inu-yokai?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters-as much as I wish I did. All original characters are mine and I make no money off of this.

Sesshomaru was barely one hundred the first time he saw her. It was out of the corner of his eye that he caught a glimpse of a young girl. What caught his attention was the fact that she was crying and he couldn't hear it at all. She was easily close enough for him to hear her and he couldn't.

Quickly he made up his mind to approach her and demand answers. But as Sesshomaru turned to confront her, she vanished. He spent a short while pondering the conundrum she presented, but it and the girl were soon forgotten.

The next time he saw her was perhaps fifty years later. It was at one of the grand parties his mother often hosted. In amongst the dancing yokai Sesshomaru caught glimpses of the same girl, now older, dancing. Every time he thought he had a clear view of her, a pair of yokai would spin into the way. He frowned. Why was he so curious about that girl?

Time slowed as she danced forward. Finally she was before his throne, dancing for him and him alone. She danced for a moment that seemed to last forever. Then she vanished once more from his sight.

Sesshomaru felt his eyes widen in shock. How had she done that? He hadn't sensed a flair of yoki or any spirit power. She had just… disappeared.

Over the next few centuries Sesshomaru saw her nearly every day. She became a normal part of his life. He never spoke of her to anyone and she never appeared when anyone else was around again. Slowly as the years passed, he found he could finally hear her and smell her scent. For the most part he heard her sing strange songs in a tongue he didn't understand. He often found himself studying her when she was there and missing her presence when she was absent.

She was perhaps half a foot shorter than his six feet with hair the color of rose gold and eyes the color of the sea. She smelled like white jasmine and rosemary. She bore no yokai markings that he could see, leading him to believe her human. Surprisingly, he could find no disdain for her in his heart or mind. She was special. He couldn't say why she was special, she simply was.

Then one day as suddenly as she had first begun appearing, she vanished once again from his life.

Sesshomaru's mood grew foul. He found himself sorely missing her presence, voice and scent. Especially her nonsense songs. Never one to deny himself that which he desired, he began searching for her. But his efforts were interrupted by the West's war with the dragon clans led by Ryukotsusei. As Sesshomaru defended his father's castle, his father battled the dragon lord alone before rushing to defend his human female and hanyou son.

After his father's death, Sesshomaru found himself Lord of the West with a mother who was most insistent that he find a mate.

So he took to wandering Japan. He completed his duties regularly, returning to the castle for a night of work then escaping back to the wild. But his main objective, his _secret_ objective, was to find his mate. For that was clearly who she was meant to be. And he would have no other.

And so Sesshomaru searched.


	2. Chapter 2

Five hundred years after Sesshomaru began his search, a young woman came to Japan. The American woman spoke only a little Japanese, but she tried her best to make good use of it. On the fifth day she finally arrived at a shrine atop a high hill. The map she held named it Higurashi Shrine. The reason she had wanted to go there was because of an anime that she had always loved -InuYasha- and she wanted the bragging rights to tell her friends at home that she had been to Higurashi Shrine. She certainly wasn't expecting it to be the same, but she still wanted to go.

So on that day she found herself climbing up perhaps a hundred and fifty steps to the shrine. She dealt with the old man running the tours, rebuffing his attempts to sell her junk in the name of it being holy items. It was surprisingly difficult to get him to let her go wander through the shrine without his bad English and terrible tales leading her around. But she eventually managed it.

Finally, blessed silence but for the sounds of nature. There was a small patch of trees atop the hill and it was these she was drawn to almost inexorably. In the center of the grove was a massive sacred tree and it was there that she found the pull finally lessened. There was a blinding flash of light and everything changed.

At least, she had halfway expected everything to change. But surprisingly she was still in the same place. She was still amongst the trees, though she couldn't hear the faint rumble of traffic anymore. So she decided to head back to the main shrine building. After twenty minutes of walking, she concluded that she was very lost and the grove was much larger than she had previously thought. A few more minutes of walking and she decided that the best cause of action was to call for help.

"Help!" She would have called for help in Japanese as well, but she couldn't remember the word for 'help'. She repeated her cry several times before concluding it to be useless.

"Oho! When I heard a cry for help, I didn't expect my meal to be a beautiful woman!"

She jumped in shock. She had been sure no one was nearby. She turned around and gasped in both shock and horror. An oni, like she had seen in old Japanese art, stood before her. Red skin, massive fangs, and horns made the nature of the being very clear.

"You look absolutely delectable." He rasped menacingly. She stood frozen for a moment before bolting away from the creature.

She ran as quickly as she could through the forest, not daring to chance a glance behind her at the oni crashing through the underbrush. There seemed to be a clearing ahead that she had no chance to avoid. She reached the edge of the woods and put on a burst of speed, intending to race through the clearing as quickly as possible. Instead of a clearing, however, she found herself at the edge of a cliff. And she was going too fast to stop. She finally let loose the scream that had been building within her since she first saw the oni. As she fell, she spent what she thought were her last moments thinking of her younger sisters, Eleanor and Ruby. Now she would never see them again. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact.

But instead of striking the water far below in a crushing blow, a pair of strong arms caught her. After a moment of not dying she opened her eyes. To her surprise a shockingly beautiful (and strangely familiar) man held her to his chest.

"Hold tight," he commanded in a deep, resonate voice. Obediently she wrapped her arms around his neck, careful not to tangle his silver locks.

He alighted a moment later atop the cliff and set her down. She went to step away, but he firmly wrapped an arm around her waist. She was about to protest (nominally, her legs felt like limp noodles and the support was nice) when the oni burst through the trees and swung at them. And was instantly destroyed by a whip of light that emerged from the fingertips of her rescuer.

She began to catalogue the facts she had about her rescuer: silver-white hair, golden eyes, whip made of light, red stripes on his cheeks, a crescent moon on his forehead, incredible strength, and flight. She froze in his grasp. All the facts pointed to her rescuer being Sesshomaru, Lord of the West. From the anime InuYasha.

She very carefully pinched her thigh, hard. That hurt and so she concluded that she was awake. She spent a long moment with the realization that this was real. Then she fainted.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters-as much as I wish I did. All original characters are mine and I make no money off of this.

Sesshomaru looked down at the woman in his arms in surprise. She had fainted after the threat was dealt with. Strange. But she was definitely his future mate. He couldn't get the memory of her scream or the image of her tumbling through the air out of his mind. Her knee length hair had flown above her twisting body in a rose gold curtain. And her blue eyes had been full of terror. But, kami, the way her body had slotted into his arms. His inner yokai had thrown itself against its restraints, screaming that he finally held his mate. Then that pitifully weak oni had dared to intrude as he was about to finally offer her courtship. He had dispatched it with contemptful ease, not even bothering to turn his gaze from his intended. He watched in surprise as her eyes widened, then shifted to catch her gently as she went limp in his arms. She had fainted. He frowned. If she fainted at the sight of such a weak yokai like the oni, how would she react to him? Again the image of her terrified face rose before his eyes. Even when she had been terrified and falling to her death she was beautiful. Sesshomaru thanked all kami he could think of that he had been near enough to catch her scent and come to her aid. He turned and began to walk in the direction of Jaken and Rin. He let out a tiny sigh. Jaken would grate and demand to know who she was. At least Rin would simply accept her presence without question.

A short while later she stirred in his arms. He stopped and laid her gently against a tree atop his mokomoko. After a moment her eyes fluttered open. Sesshomaru knelt beside her.

"So I wasn't dreaming," was the first thing she said. He blinked in surprise. "Aww jeeze. How did this happen?"

"Why would you be dreaming?" He asked at last. For the first time he took in her strange appearance. The blue hakama she wore were indecently tight, clinging to the shape of her legs. And her haori was not much better. The grey cloth clung even more tightly to her form and exposed most of her arms. For a moment his iron control wavered, but he forced it back into place in order to pay attention to what she was saying.

"Because oni don't exist, _yokai_ don't exist where I'm from. I'm ninety percent sure I've somehow changed universes. So I'm panicking a bit and-and-" she put her head in her hands. "How the heck did this happen?"

"This Sesshomaru knows not of what you speak, but you are safe now." He placed a hand on her shoulder, attempting to offer her some comfort. She looked up at him in shock.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama."

"You have this Sesshomaru at a disadvantage."

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Elizabeth Johnson." She frowned. "How the heck am I understanding you? I barely speak any Japanese and I seriously doubt you speak English-no offense."

"I do not know of this English you speak of. Your Japanese is excellent, Elizabeth-san. But how do you know of this Sesshomaru?"

"I know you from an anime-a kabuki type show-" she explained, "called InuYasha."

Sesshomaru felt his eyes go slightly red with suppressed rage. But it drained instantly from him at Elizabeth's flinch. Mentally he berated himself. He had frightened her. But the fact that the very thing she knew him from was about the half-breed made his blood boil. Then she said something that made his beast purr contentedly.

"I did always find you to be far better suited to be the protagonist than InuYasha though." She gave him a hesitant smile. He fought the urge to return her smile and embrace her.

Instead he stood and offered her his hand. Elizabeth's eyes widened but she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Then to his surprise she bent and gathered up his mokomoko for him.

"Here Sesshomaru-sama. Thank you for allowing me to rest on your mokomoko." She gave him a brilliant smile and he felt his heart miss a beat. Kami she was stunningly beautiful.

"Hn." He managed to retain some of his trademark stoicism. "Come."

"Okay," she replied. He turned and walked away. Elizabeth followed, still carrying his mokomoko. He could feel her gently stroking his tail (for that was indeed what his mokomoko was) and his inner beast was practically purring ath her soft touches.

After perhaps an hour of walking Sesshomaru decided that this was far too inefficient of a method of travel. So he stopped.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" she said softly, remaining a respectful distance from him. He frowned. She was the one person whose presence he would like to have within his personal space. Why did she remain wary of him? Hadn't she seen him as she grew as well? Didn't she know him as he knew her?

Even as these questions raced through his mind, he approached her. She backed away until her back struck a tree.

"Why do you flee me?" He demanded. He could smell her fear. Her eyes were averted but he placed a clawed hand on her chin. "Look at this Sesshomaru, Elizabeth-san."

She lifted her face, revealing blue eyes filled with determination and was that respect he saw?

"Why do you flee this Sesshomaru?"

"Because I know what you are capable of, Sesshomaru-sama. I'm trying to show you the respect you deserve."

"You respect me." He stated. His beast was leaping for joy. Respect was a foundation he could build off of.

"Yes. Of course I do." Elizabeth said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"..." He couldn't say anything. Then, "Come."

Sesshomaru held his hand out. To his surprise she placed his mokomoko in his hand. He replaced it on his shoulder and held out his hand once more. Slowly she placed her hand in his. He pulled her close again and wrapped one arm around her waist.

"Sesshomaru-sama-ah!" Her voice rose at the end of her exclamation as he lifted them into the air. He smirked inwardly as she clung to him. But that quickly stopped as he smelt her terror.

"Elizabeth-san." She lifted her head to look up at him. "Rest easy. I will not drop you."

"I know Sesshomaru-sama. Thank you for reminding me. I just have never really liked heights. But I know you to be a-" here she paused.

"Yes?" He probed.

"Well, man is definitely the wrong word, but I'm not sure yokai is the right word either." She smiled up at him sheepishly.

"I believe I understand what you are trying to say, Elizabeth-san. You are attempting to say that I am a yokai of my word. Know this: I will protect you."

Sesshomaru closed his mouth with a small snap. Had he really just proposed to her? He had. Thank kami she didn't know what he had meant. He was so lost in thought he almost missed the clearing where Jaken and Rin awaited them. They descended from the sky into the small clearing.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" chorused Rin and Jaken as they ran to greet him. They stopped short at the sight of Elizabeth.

"Sesshomaru-sama, who is this human female?" squawked Jaken.

"Jaken," he said sternly. "Silence."

"Who are you, pretty lady?"Rin asked over Jaken's mumbled apologies. Elizabeth glanced up at Sesshomaru, who nodded. He wanted them to get along. His future mate and his adopted pup should have a close relationship.

"My name is Elizabeth. You must be Rin."

"Elizabeth-sama! You know who Rin is!"

"Of course I know you are, silly." Elizabeth stepped away from Sesshomaru to kneel in front of Rin. Sesshomaru fought the urge to pull her back to his side and keep her there forever.

"Will you be traveling with us, Elizabeth-sama?" Rin asked. Elizabeth turned back to Sesshomaru as she replied:

"If Sesshomaru-sama will let me."

"Oh please Sesshomaru-sama!" begged Rin.

"It is up to Elizabeth-san." He said at last. Rin cheered and Jaken squawked in disbelief.

"Then yes, I will be joining you Rin." Elizabeth said with a wide smile at Rin. Then she stood and faced Sesshomaru. "Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama. I would almost certainly die very shortly if you had said no. I do not know how to survive in this time." She gave a short bow before straightening and giving him a brilliant smile. Again he fought the urge to embrace her and hide her from the word.

To avoid returning her smile and began to walk. He heard the sounds of them hastily packing up the camp behind him. And he could hear Elizabeth hurrying after him.

"Sesshomaru-sama." He turned to face her. "I wanted to say this away from Rin. Thank you for saving me from that oni and when I was falling off the cliff. Perhaps one day I'll understand your reasons for protecting a random human like me." She grinned up at him.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters-as much as I wish I did. All original characters are mine and I make no money off of this.

Elizabeth grinned up at him and prayed to any gods listening that he never find out about the massive crush she had on him. He had just been the best character on InuYasha, not to mention the massive amounts of fanfiction she had read. But more than that, the way his arms had felt around her and the way he had said her name, oh she was in big trouble. Big, gigantic, enormous trouble.

As they traveled, Rin chattered away at Elizabeth. Jaken interrupted just once, but he was so incredibly mean to Rin that Elizabeth automatically smacked him over the head before turning her attention back to Rin. Only to find her crying. Just a little, but it made Elizabeth stop to hug Rin.

"Oh, hey, hey, honey, it's okay." She soothed, running her hand through Rin's hair. Rin's crying became louder, then whole-body wracking sobs.

"Oh sweetie." Elizabeth scooped Rin up in her arms and kicked Jaken out of the way. She resolutely marched up to Sesshomaru and stopped in front of him.

"Hold Rin." She told him. He stared at her for a moment. "You are the closest thing she has to family, hold her and offer her comfort. I'm going to start a fire and make some tea. I know tea always makes me feel better when I cry. Then we're all going to have a long talk, okay Rin honey?"

Rin nodded against her shoulder. After a moment Sesshomaru held out his arms and Elizabeth gently placed Rin in his grasp. He was clearly a little stiff but Rin practically melted against him, clung to his haori, and buried her face against his shoulder. Soon he was rubbing her back soothingly. Elizabeth deemed that taken care of and so turned to her self-appointed task of making tea.

She grabbed Jaken by the scruff of his robes and demanded in a quiet but firm voice that he make a fire.

"No!"

"Jaken." Sesshomaru said threateningly. Elizabeth realized she shouldn't have been surprised that he managed to be extremely threatening even while holding a crying child, but she had been. Jaken eeped and immediately demanded to be put down so he could gather wood.

Elizabeth set him down and began to go through the saddlebags on Ah-Un to find the teapot or a pot to boil water in and the tea leaves.

Fifteen minutes later, tea was served and the three of them-Sesshomaru, Rin, and Elizabeth- sat close together around the fire. Rin was seated between the two adults and was still clinging to Sesshomaru's haori with one hand as she held her tea with the other. She had stopped crying, but still gave the occasional sniffle.

"Alright Rin," Elizabeth said at last. "Are you feeling up to talking about what made you cry?"

She nodded.

"Rin is ready. Rin was crying because Jaken-sama said that nobody wanted to listen to Rin. Momma used to say no one had time to listen to Rin chatter." She set her tea down and curled herself into a little ball. Elizabeth immediately wrapped her arms around the little girl.

"Well that wasn't very nice of Jaken or your Momma. I'm sure she was a nice lady, but you're with Sesshomaru-sama now and me now. I know I don't mind you talking, I like hearing what you're thinking. And I think Sesshomaru-sama doesn't mind listening to you either. Am I right, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Elizabeth-san is right, Rin." Sesshomaru spoke. "Your speaking is most pleasing to this Sesshomaru."

Elizabeth shot him a grateful smile over Rin's head. They made eye contact and an understanding passed between them. They each feared the other would never care for them as they cared for the other, but they would care for Rin together regardless of their feelings for each other.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama, Elizabeth-sama." Rin said as she hugged Elizabeth.

"Of course sweetie." Elizabeth ran her fingers through Rin's hair. Sesshomaru nodded at Elizabeth.

"Jaken," he said. The kappa scuttled over to him. "Apologize to Rin."

"But milord-" Jaken squawked. A sharp glare from the inu-yokai silenced his protests. Elizabeth hid her smile behind Rin's hair as Jaken attempted to both apologize to Sesshomaru and protest having to apologize to Rin.

"Now Jaken." Sesshomaru's voice was as cold as ice and cracked like a whip. Morosely Jaken turned and walked over to Rin. A dark cloud hung over his head as he mumbled an apology.

"I'm sorry Jaken," Elizabeth said. "But Rin is asleep. She must have been exhausted by all that crying."

"What!" He squawked. Immediately Elizabeth shushed him.

"Shhhhh, Jaken. It's better to let her sleep." She said more to Sesshomaru than the little kappa.

"Hn." Now that the immediate crisis with Rin had been dealt with, Elizabeth took a moment to study Sesshomaru by the light of the fire. He was blessed with a beauty that allowed all types of light to do him many favors, but the firelight added a golden hue to his ivory coloring. Her earlier thought returned: she was in deep over her head. She gave a small sigh. She was definitely doomed. He would never return her feelings-he hated the weakness of humans and hanyou. He would never lower himself to mate a human and have hanyou children.

Elizabeth made a decision then. Even if she couldn't be with him, she could be content just to be near him. Especially if she had the chance to take care of Rin. So she would stay by Sesshomaru's side, support him, and never ask for anything more. She would never put him in a position to refuse her affections because she would never reveal them.

She shook her head to dispel her gloomy thoughts, deciding instead to focus on the present. She shifted Rin in her arms so she was lying comfortably in Elizabeth's lap. Absent-mindedly she began to hum. After she made it through the chorus twice Sesshomaru spoke.

"What is that you are humming, Elizabeth-san?"

"It's called Almost Human, it's a song about an angel who falls from grace and how he feels like he no longer is anything powerful."

"Sing it," he commanded.

"Okay then. Just let me think of the lyrics. Right! I think I've got it!" She cleared her throat and began to sing.

Elizabeth allowed her voice to trail away with the last note. She flushed as she realized that she had become completely lost in the song. Sesshomaru appeared to be lost in thought. Rin was asleep. Jaken was off doing who knew what (Elizabeth didn't exactly care that much-he was too annoying at the moment). So she was free to relax. Unbidden another song rose to her lips. This time it was the 'Edge of Night' from the Lord of the Rings. The last note hung in the air for a moment.

Elizabeth yawned and gently lifted Rin off her lap and placed her on the ground. Then she curled up around the girl. As she was falling asleep, she felt a blanket being draped over them and she caught a flash of silver-white as it stepped away from her. Warmth rose unbidden within her as she realized that Sesshomaru had covered them. Then she knew no more.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters-as much as I wish I did. All original characters are mine and I make no money off of this.

The songs Elizabeth sang enchanted Sesshomaru. Once more he heard her sing as he had many times in the past. But now he could understand her nonsense songs. The feeling behind the songs she sang filled his heart with a longing to be the reason she sang that way. Yes, he had commanded her to sing, but he knew that he was not the reason her voice was filled with such emotion.

The first song seemed to stem from a lack of belonging and the second from the understanding that things had changed irrevocably for her.

When she had laid down beside Rin, he had instinctually covered the two humans. The urge had risen in his chest until he had been unable to resist. Offering protection from the elements to the two most important members of his pack.

Sesshomaru spent a while contemplating his feelings for the two humans. He was honestly the happiest that he had ever been. His mate was within reach and he was slowly courting her. Elizabeth had taken to mothering Rin, his adopted pup. The only thing that would have made it better was if he and Elizabeth were already mates instead of mates-to-be. But he was being patient. She needed time to adjust to her new life.

He swore that he would court Elizabeth as she deserved, but she constantly put his control to the test. Sesshomaru found that it was a persistent struggle to maintain his customary cool facade when all he wanted to do was smile and embrace her.

Elizabeth had quickly settled into life as a part of the pack. She cooked with Rin, took care of the little girl and Jaken, and told tales and sang to them to pass the time. She taught Rin songs, often songs that Sesshomaru had heard her sing many times over the years.

So after Rin had sung the latest song a few times, Sesshomaru began to hum along quietly. He was wrapped up in his thoughts of how to court Elizabeth that he didn't pay attention to the fact that Rin had run up next to him.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin said happily, jolting him out of his thoughts. He started a bit. He hadn't really realized that she and Elizabeth had been so close to him. "You know the song too!"

"Hn." He managed to say. Elizabeth just smiled at him, while Rin continued to sing. Perhaps an hour later he called a halt for the night.

After Rin and Jaken had bedded down for the night, Elizabeth sat beside him. It had become customary for them to converse for a while each evening before she curled up around Rin for the night.

"Good evening, Sesshomaru-sama."

"Elizabeth-san." He nodded at her.

"So you pay attention to what I'm teaching Rin while we walk, do you?" She smiled sweetly at him. As always Sesshomaru fought the urge to return her smile.

"I have heard you sing many times throughout the years, Elizabeth-san. It is something I always pay attention to."

"What do you mean?" He frowned. So she hadn't seen him through the years? That was perhaps the third time he had alluded to having seen her many times before meeting her and she kept responding with confusion. So he finally decided to ask her flat out.

"I saw you before this Sesshomaru met you. Did you not see me before you met me?"

"Only in the anime I told you about." Elizabeth flushed and he could smell her partial truth.

"What are you not telling me, Elizabeth-san?"

"N-nothing!" She protested. "It's nothing really, I swear."

"Hn." He let it drop, not wanting to press her too far. Instead he let her ask the question that she was clearly eager to ask.

"So you have seen me before, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Yes, I saw you many times over the years and I have heard you sing many songs." Elizabeth seemed flustered by this. "What is it Elizabeth-san?"

"I'm just not used to people listening to me sing…" She ducked her head and turned away a little. "I guess I'm a little embarrassed."

"Why?" Sesshomaru was genuinely confused. "Your voice is mellifluous."

Elizabeth turned red as she flushed deeply.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama," she mumbled. "You are too kind. I am not nearly that good a singer. I just like to sing for fun."

"Do you call this Sesshomaru a liar?" He asked. He was only teasing her as he thought of her self-deprecating comments.

She didn't think she was a good singer? What was the world she was like from that she didn't think she was a good singer? Perhaps he was a bit prejudiced because she was his mate, but he thought she sounded like an angel. And hearing her sing with Rin was one of the sweetest sounds he had ever heard, actually it _was_ the sweetest sound he had ever heard.

"I'm not calling you a liar, I just...nobody ever compliments my singing when they've heard either of my little sisters sing. So I've gotten used to people not noticing me sing, I guess." Elizabeth explained.

Sesshomaru frowned. So she hadn't been appreciated where she had been? Then it was far better that she remained with him, where she would be fully appreciated and loved for who she was.

Carefully he placed a hand on Elizabeth's knee, atop her own hand. She started and jerked her head up to gaze into his eyes. As their gazes locked, Sesshomaru found himself drawn inexorably closer to her. He was so close to kissing her, so very close.

And he was interrupted at the last possible moment by Rin crying out in her sleep. Immediately Elizabeth jerked herself out of his grasp and rushed to Rin's side. Even as he was relieved that she was taking care of Rin, he let out a small growl of frustration. He wanted so badly to kiss her, hold her close, take her in his arms and offer her the world.

Sesshomaru was shaken out of his thoughts by Elizabeth's murmured reassurances to Rin and the young girl's quiet cries. He approached the pair and, as he had often done to reassure Rin, he knelt beside her and placed a hand on her back.

"Rin," he said. "It is alright. You are safe. Nothing will harm you."

Elizabeth placed one of her hands atop his as he started to pull away.

"Stay here with us, Sesshomaru-sama." She said softly.

"Hn." He said. But he did not resist her gentle hold. Instead of pulling away as he had intended, Sesshomaru remained kneeling beside Rin and Elizabeth. Together, they sat for maybe fifteen minutes before Rin fell asleep once more. Elizabeth laid her on the ground and covered her with the blankets.

Quietly, the two adults moved back to their spot leaning against the tree. They sat without speaking for a long time.

Sesshomaru listened as her heartbeat slowed and her breathing deepened. She was falling asleep. Her head dropped toward his shoulder, but he caught her before she could strike his armour. Instead he guided her to lay in her head in his lap. She curled up against his outstretched leg.

He didn't need sleep that night, choosing to rest his eyes and extend his other senses. His ki burned through the forest, spreading a warning to stay away. His pack was safe.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters-as much as I wish I did. All original characters are mine and I make no money off of this.

Elizabeth woke early the next morning. She was comfortable and warm, as she often wasn't in this strange new world. She frequently woke chilled and stiff from a night of sleeping on the hard ground. So the warmth was very strange to her, but she was too drowsy and comfortable to care. Then her pillow moved beneath her head.

"Wha-?" She mumbled and pulled her pillow back into place.

"Elizabeth-san, wake up." Sesshomaru's soft voice cut through her drowsiness like a knife. She gasped and jerked upright. He placed a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. Elizabeth found herself face to face with him, less than a foot apart. She flushed.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" She gasped reflexively. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"It is alright, Elizabeth-san." His voice was reassuring. She relaxed a little and let herself lean into his touch. Oh, Elizabeth felt her longing for him grew with each kind gesture he offered her. But she restrained herself as best she could, knowing that despite the hope dwelling within her heart that there was no chance of Sesshomaru returning her feelings. This wasn't some poorly written fanfiction read at 2 A.M. This was her actual life.

She sighed and forced herself to resolutely pull away. Elizabeth approached the still sleeping Rin.

"Rin-chan, it's time to wake up." She knelt beside the girl and gently shook her shoulder.

"Nnnn-don' wanna." Rin mumbled.

"C'mon Rin, let's make breakfast," Elizabeth coaxed.

"Breakfast!" Jaken shot to his feet. "Hurry up, woman! Make food for myself and Lord Sesshomaru!"

"Shut up Jaken." Elizabeth stated calmly. Jaken squawked in fury and began to run around yelling inarticulately. She ignored him easily and gently shook Rin again. Finally the girl stirred and sat up.

"What are you yelling about, Master Jaken," she asked innocently.

"That disrespectful woman-"

"Jaken. Enough." Sesshomaru's voice was like ice. Elizabeth froze momentarily. That was the ice-prince from the anime that she knew of. The one that had first captured her interest and spurred her to learn all she could about him. She spent a short moment reminiscing over her first real foray into anime and fanfiction, before shaking her head sharply and turning back to Rin.

"Alright Rin, let's get to cooking."

A few minutes later, porridge was served. Rin, Elizabeth, and Sesshomaru sat around the fire. Rin was chatting away happily. Elizabeth focused forcefully on her porridge, while Sesshomaru sat quietly. Jaken was off to the side of the clearing with a cloud of doom over his head.

Once they were done eating, Elizabeth packed up the dishes and placed them on Ah-Un's back.

Sesshomaru stood and began to walk. The others followed him.

Occasionally Rin ran ahead. But for the most part she stayed with Elizabeth as the latter told her stories and sang songs with her.

Jaken brought up the rear, leading Ah-Un.

As they walked through the forests, Elizabeth found herself reminded strongly of Studio Ghibli movies that she had seen, especially Princess Mononoke. So she decided to tell Rin the story.

She made it all the way through the first battle with the wolves before she was interrupted by a wild yell.

"Sesshomaru!" Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks. She knew that voice from the anime. It was Inuyasha.

"You are going down, bastard!" Sesshomaru scooped up Elizabeth and Rin and dodged Inuyasha's attack. Jaken got hit in the head with the flat of Tetsaiga.

"Remain here." Sesshomaru commanded the two of them. They nodded. Elizabeth placed Rin against her hip. "I shall return shortly."

Then he turned and faced Inuyasha. Neither of the young women saw his face change to one of fury. But his expression shocked his half brother. Never had Inuyasha seen him so furious, so actively emotional.

Elizabeth watched in surprise as Inuyasha began to taunt his brother for being emotional. She herself began to grow angry. As the taunts grew worse, her fury boiled over until she finally snapped.

"Kick his sorry ass, Sesshomaru-sama! Make him eat dirt!" Elizabeth yelled.

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha both turned to look at her in surprise. Then a small smirk graced Sesshomaru's features and he nodded at her.

A few seconds later, a loud "SIT" rang through the clearing. Inuyasha slammed into the ground face-first. He popped up a second later.

"God dammit Kagome! Can't you see that I'm in the middle of a fight!" He yelled angrily. Another familiar voice replied.

"I don't care! Didn't I tell you not to go around picking fights!" A young woman about Elizabeth's age stomped up to Inuyasha. As the two of them argued, Sesshomaru returned to Elizabeth's side.

"This is ridiculous, Sesshomaru-sama." She sighed. "Shall we continue?"

"Hn." He turned to leave.

"Hey! I ain't done with you yet! What are you doing with another human, bastard? Did you kidnap and brainwash her too?"

Sesshomaru growled lowly. But Elizabeth beat him to the punch.

"Rin-chan, cover your ears please." After Rin had done so, Elizabeth let into Inuyasha. "YOU ARROGANT SON OF A BITCH! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU ACCUSE SESSHOMARU-SAMA OF SUCH THINGS! I AM HERE BY MY OWN FREE WILL! AND ONE MORE THING-" She was about to continue when Sesshomaru placed a hand on her shoulder. "What is it, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"If you need things from your era, talk to the half-breed's mate. The miko is from your time."

"I know, Sesshomaru-sama. Why would I need anything else besides what I have here?" Elizabeth was genuinely curious. She already had everything she could possibly want or need. She tapped Rin on the shoulder. Rin unplugged her ears.

"Is it okay to listen now, Elizabeth-san?"

"Yes, Rin dear."

During the exchange, Kagome had run over to them and now spoke to Elizabeth.

"Excuse me, but did Sesshomaru-sama say you are from my era?"

"Yes, I am." Elizabeth replied distractedly. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just that the Well has been closed for a few years now so I was wondering how you got here."

"I just woke up here. Sesshomaru-sama saved me from an oni and I've been travelling with him ever since. Goodbye now. It was nice to meet you."

Elizabeth turned and walked away after Sesshomaru.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters-as much as I wish I did. All original characters are mine and I make no money off of this.

Sesshomaru was incredibly glad that he was facing away from everyone as Elizabeth spoke. He couldn't stop himself from smiling at her words. She made it very clear that she was perfectly content exactly where she was. Especially when he had told her to talk to the miko for things from her own time. Her reaction was so clear. She had no desire to be anywhere but at his side. His beast was purring with pride.

"Master Jaken!" He could hear Rin trying to revive the squashed Jaken. But the majority of his attention remained on Elizabeth and Inuyasha. The former because he wanted to protect her and the latter because he simply didn't want him anywhere near Elizabeth.

As she approached him at the edge of the clearing, he forced himself to return to a neutral face. Even in the face of his normal demeanor, Elizabeth smiled up at him.

Rin and Jaken ran up to them.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru!" They chorused.

"Rin. Jaken. Let's go." He strode away.

Elizabeth walked beside him.

"Thank you for protecting Rin and me from Inuyasha," she said quietly.

"Hn." He replied. It seemed obvious to him that he would protect the two of them. They were the most important people in his life. As if he would let the hanyou lay a finger on them.

They continued on their way, stopping briefly for lunch, before returning to their journey. Elizabeth told Rin the rest of the tale of Princess Mononoke. But the ending upset her so and Elizabeth told her the story of Laputa: Castle in the Sky to make her feel better. Sesshomaru listened intently to the tales that she told, as they were fascinating and completely new to him.

The imagery that she spoke of, the detail of the stories, the way the characters came to life from her voice, all of it made him long to be the one she told the tales of.

As supper time approached, they made camp. Elizabeth and Rin made stew over a fire set by Jaken. Sesshomaru vanished for a few minutes as he scared away any potential dangers to his pack.

He returned shortly thereafter to find his adopted pup sleeping soundly beside his future mate and a bowl of stew waiting for him in the hands of Elizabeth. The fact that she had waited for him warmed his heart. It touched him deeply. Before Rin and Elizabeth, no one had ever waited up for him unless they were required to. The two humans he had taken in did so out of affection for him.

"Thank you, Elizabeth-san," Sesshomaru said as he sat beside her.

"You're welcome, Sesshomaru-sama." She replied and handed him the bowl. As he ate, he realized that she had kept track of his eating habits to ensure he had food on the nights when he was hungry. After he had finished eating, she spoke again.

"You know, in the culture I come from we don't use honorifics. But I would be honored if you referred to me by my first name only, Sesshomaru-sama."

He froze momentarily. She was offering him the honor of referring to her without honorifics? So soon after meeting him? Lately he had been doubting that she felt the sort of affection for him that he held for her, but this was a bold move. Practically an offer of courtship, even. Inu-yokai didn't freely offer others use of their names unless there was a deep connection. Her offer stunned him, yet at the same time gave him a great deal of hope.

Sesshomaru felt his heart swell with love towards Elizabeth.

"Then I would ask the same of you, Elizabeth." He smiled softly at her, unable to resist the urge to do so.

He watched in surprise as she blushed deeply and smiled up at him.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru."

After a few minutes of companionable silence, he found himself speaking again.

"Will you sing something, Elizabeth?" She nodded, then seemed to spend a moment thinking.

Then her voice lifted in song, in a language he couldn't understand. As always, he found himself spellbound by her singing. The final note hung in the air, before fading away softly.

"What did you sing?" Sesshomaru asked at last.

"Oh, it's called Tombe La Neige, or the snow falls. It's a French song about how the snow falls on the man who sings it while his lover doesn't come to see him. It's something my father used to sing to me." She seemed a little sorrowful at the mention of her father.

"It's beautiful. You sang it wonderfully. Do you miss your family?"

"Not as much as I should. My parents are dead and my little sisters are grown up and off at school. I didn't even have a pet or a boyfriend. Most of my friends were incredibly distant. So I was very alone in my life before meeting you. Honestly, meeting you, Rin, and even Jaken, has been the best thing to ever happen to me, Sesshomaru. I really couldn't be happier."

Elizabeth was being honest until the last sentence. He could tell that much. What kept her from being as happy as possible, he didn't know. But he certainly intended to find out and make sure she got it. Whatever it was. He would do anything for her to make her happy.

Sesshomaru was about to ask her to sing another song when she yawned.

"It is late," he said instead. "You must rest."

"I'm fine, Sesshomaru," insisted Elizabeth. She yawned again. "I'm just going to lay down a rest my eyes for a minute. Then we can talk more. Really."

She was about to move away when he guided her down to lay against his leg again.

"Rest, Elizabeth." He commanded gently. "We can talk in the morning."

"No, I'm fine." She protested nominally. But she moved Rin between herself and Sesshomaru and curled herself around Rin. Soon she was as fast asleep as Rin was.

Sesshomaru was perfectly content to keep watch over his pack. His future mate lay with her head on his leg and his adopted pup was curled between the two of them.

Throughout the night he mused on the puzzle that was Elizabeth. One moment she seemed aloof and at best a friend. The next she was offering him use of her name without honorifics and practically leaning in to kiss him. She seemed to want him, but at the same time also seemed to be working very hard to avoid giving him that impression. Finally he remembered that she only knew him from a story about his hanyou brother. From what he knew of the boy, the latter thought him to be unemotional and cold. Perhaps that was where her impressions of him came from. If that was the case, she might not believe that he could have feelings for her! She wanted him, that was what her actions and scent proclaimed. But at the same time, she believed he would never want her! That must be the answer.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters-as much as I wish I did. All original characters are mine and I make no money off of this.

Once again Elizabeth awoke to find herself laying her head on Sesshomaru's leg. But this time, Rin lay curled between them. Sesshomaru's mokomoko was piled atop the two of them, keeping them warm.

Elizabeth sat up and replaced the mokomoko over Rin.

"Good morning Sesshomaru," she said with a smile. Unfortunately, she hadn't realized Jaken was awake as well. Her lack of an honorific immediately sent him into a tirade about how disrespectful and rude she was. She serenely ignored him and moved to sit beside Sesshomaru against the tree.

"Jaken." The icy voice snapped like thin ice

"Ack!" Jaken prostrated himself and began to mumble apologies.

"Jaken." This time it was Elizabeth that spoke coldly. "You're going to wake Rin. Hush."

Normally she had a great deal of tolerance for the little green kappa, since even though he complained he took excellent care of Rin. But he had been getting on her nerves for the past few days and she was just ready for a little silence.

Jaken protested for a moment longer, until an incredibly cold glare on the part of Sesshomaru made him shut up.

Elizabeth sat beside Sesshomaru in silence for perhaps ten minutes. She was simply contemplating her new life.

She had Rin, Sesshomaru, even Ah-Un and Jaken. Sure she no longer had access to the internet, but who needed fanfiction when you were living with actual fictional characters. She didn't really have anyone to miss back in her original world, what with her parents being dead and her sisters off at school. She hadn't had many close friends, much less a boyfriend. So now she found herself thrust into a new world, an entirely new way of living. And she was far more fulfilled than she had ever been before.

Taking care of Rin was a joy in it of itself. Elizabeth had truly come to love the little girl deeply in the past few weeks. She knew the feeling of loving a sister, but her feeling for Rin was very different. It was almost how she imagined a mother would feel for her daughter.

Jaken, she felt mostly ambivalent towards. He was annoying in the extreme, but he did an excellent job of taking care of Rin.

It was her feelings for Sesshomaru that took the most time to ponder. She had fallen in love with the idea of him thanks to the anime and fanfiction. But now she was actually getting to know the real him and it was wonderful. He was still a cold person for the most part, but he had his sweet moments. And it was those moments that were really making it difficult for her to resist showing her feelings for him.

As she thought, Elizabeth failed to notice that her head had dropped onto Sesshomaru's shoulder. She let her eyes fade out of focus and let herself get lost in a daydream of life with Sesshomaru and Rin. Even Jaken and Ah-Uh featured in her daydream to a small extent.

She didn't notice Rin wake, comfortable to remain exactly where she was.

"Good morning, Sesshomaru-sama, Elizabeth-sama, Master Jaken," Rin said sleepily.

"Huh?" Elizabeth jerked up and glanced around in surprise. Sesshomaru chuckled softly. Without thinking, she reacted and elbowed him in the side.

"Oof."

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Sesshomaru!" Elizabeth turned and immediately went to touch him, but also held herself back. The result was that she hovered worriedly over him.

"I am alright Elizabeth," he reassured her. Then he turned to Rin. "Good morning Rin."

"Morning Rin," Elizabeth faced the young girl and rose to her feet. "Shall we get started on breakfast?"

"Elizabeth, Rin, we're leaving." Sesshomaru stood and began to walk. Quickly they gathered their things and followed him.

The day passed smoothly. They foraged for breakfast and lunch, munching on fruits and berries.

It was mid-afternoon when things changed. Elizabeth was teaching Rin a song about her homeland when she walked into Sesshomaru's back.

"Oof." She fell backwards and her breath left her in a rush. She looked up to find a strange person kneeling in front of Sesshomaru.

"My lord."

"Speak Itô." Sesshomaru commanded. The person Elizabeth assumed to be Itô rose to his feet and she gasped quietly at his appearance. His hair was black, his skin quite tan, but it was his eyes and the marks on his cheeks that surprised her. The marks on his cheeks were shockingly electric blue jagged stripes and his eyes were silvery-white.

Then Elizabeth firmly shook her head. She shouldn't let her past life prejudice her against people. She stood and dusted off her pants.

Unfortunately she had spaced out while Itô was talking, so now she had no idea what was going on.

"Very well," Sesshomaru said at last. "I will deal with it." He turned to Elizabeth and Rin. "Remain here until I return."

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru," said Rin.

"Yeah, okay." Elizabeth nodded. "Do you want some food before the two of you head out?"

"No, thank you Elizabeth. I must leave immediately." Sesshomaru leapt into the air and vanished from view.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters-as much as I wish I did. All original characters are mine and I make no money off of this.

Sesshomaru was not pleased. Itô had come at a most inopportune time. But he knew that he had to maintain the peace within his lands. A dragon yokai was on the rampage in the southern portion of the Western Lands. It wouldn't be too hard to deal with, but it would take him the better part of two days to travel both there and back to his pack. He was worried about Elizabeth, since this was the first time he was leaving her alone (relatively speaking) since he rescued her. Without thinking about it, he flew faster.

The dragon was easy to defeat and Sesshomaru raced back northward. Already he missed Elizabeth's presence deeply and it had only been a day at most since he had last seen her.

As he approached the place he had left them, he heard Elizabeth's scream pierce the air. He saw red and let out a growl. He dove towards the noise and drew Bakusaiga.

A group of mortal men surrounded Elizabeth. Her clothing was in tatters and tears streaked her fair features. Sesshomaru could hear them taunting her, saying after they were done with her that they would go after the "little brat". He could only assume they meant Rin.

"Get away from her!" He roared in fury. The humans gaped up at him. He could smell their fear, but Elizabeth's terror filled his nose and his beast yanked at its restraints, demanding to be freed so it could protect his mate.

This time he let it loose. He refrained from transforming, but utterly destroyed the men who had dared to attack his mate.

"S-sess-sesshomaru," Elizabeth could barely get through his name, she was crying so hard.

"Elizabeth," he murmured softly. Slowly he drew close to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let me remove my armour."

"O-okay."

He pulled off his armour and dropped it without a care onto the earth. Then he removed his haori and wrapped it around Elizabeth's shoulders.

"Here," he guided her arms through the sleeves and tied the obi around her waist. The instant he was done, she flung herself at him. Clinging to him as if he were the only thing in the world, she wept. Sesshomaru gently wrapped his arms around her waist. A few minutes later, her sobs eased.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "You had to rescue me again."

"It is alright, mate." He spoke without thinking, just wanting to reassure her.

"Sesshomaru?" Elizabeth looked up at him. "Why did you call me mate…?" She stiffened in his grasp.

"Sorry," he managed to say.

"Did you mean it?" She looked up at him with emotion shining in her blue eyes. Was that hope he saw? He wouldn't lie, but was she ready for the revelation he was about to give her? He paused for a moment before speaking.

"Yes. I meant it. You are my mate to be. I-and my beast-will have no other."

Slowly a smile spread across her features. Then she pulled him close and pressed her face against his shoulder. But he managed to catch a glimpse of her blush as she moved in close.

"So what happens now?" She asked at last.

"I court you and then eventually we will be mated."

"Is that like marriage? I don't know the specifics of yokai lifestyles."

He smiled down at her. "Yes, we would be married, as humans say. But there would be some fundamental differences. Primarily that you would gain a yokai lifespan equal to mine."

"I-are you sure about me being your mate? I mean, I'm only human, and I barely know anything about this world…" Elizabeth seemed very insecure about her status as his mate.

"I am completely sure. I care deeply for you, Elizabeth. You are no mere human." Here Sesshomaru paused to gather his thoughts. How exactly to tell her that he had seen her for all of his life and loved her because of her humanity, that her humanity was only one aspect of her beauty and appeal. That she was perfect exactly as she was.

"You care about me?" Her insecurity was both surprising and not in his eyes. He knew she was unsure of her place in this strange world, but at the same time she was perfect to him.

"Yes, I do." Tears welled up in her eyes at his words and she began to cry soft tears. Suddenly the realization of what had just almost happened to her hit him."Elizabeth, are you alright? They didn't hurt you did they?"

"No, I'm alright. They were so cruel! They-they kept saying they were going to go after Rin! And so I tried to distract them. It was better me than Rin."

"I killed them far too quickly." Sesshomaru's voice was filled with rage. To go after a child, especially with the intention to rape and/or murder, was quite possibly the worst thing he could think of. What they had nearly done to his mate was unforgivable.

"I'm just g-glad they're dead… I was s-so worried about Rin! When I heard them through the woods, I was just getting back from taking a bath. I made Rin and Jaken get on Ah-Un and told them to get away. I t-tr-tried to hide, but they found me so-so easily…"

"Hush, love." He soothed, running his hand through her hair. "None shall harm you now."

"Can you just-can you just hold me for a while?" Elizabeth asked.

"Of course. Here." Gently Sesshomaru scooped her up in his arms and sat down against a tree. He settled Elizabeth crossways in his lap, putting her legs over one of his, and leaning her against his chest.

"Thank you," she mumbled. She clung to him as tightly as she could. He could hear her racing heart slowing down at long last.

"I've got you Elizabeth. You're safe now."

Soon she had worn herself out and just lay her head against his shoulder.

"We should go find Rin and Jaken." She said at last.

"Hn." He agreed.

"I don't want to move, though." She groused a little. "I'm comfy."

"I am as well, but we have to take care of Rin. You can sleep beside me tonight. Come now." He lifted her and stood. "Let us go."

Sesshomaru leapt into the air. He caught Rin's scent and followed it. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck as he flew through the trees. Soon after they arrived at a copse of trees a few miles from the clearing they had been in before.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" chorused Jaken and Rin.

"Elizabeth-san! Are you alright?" Rin asked.

"I'm fine, Rin-chan," Elizabeth reassured her from her place in Sesshomaru's arms.

"Milord!" Jaken squawked. "Why are you holding that filthy-"

"Silence Jaken." Sesshomaru's rage-filled voice cut across Jaken's question. "You will address Elizabeth with respect."

"But milord-!"

"No." Sesshomaru practically snarled. "You will respect her!"

The affront to his mate had him filled with fury once more. He had promised to protect her, and that included protecting her from his stupid vassal.

"Sesshomaru," Elizabeth moved one of her hands to rest on his chest. "It's okay. Let's just make camp for tonight."

"We're going to my castle. We travel through the night. Rin, Jaken, you will ride Ah-Un."

Quickly they mounted the dragon yokai and off they flew. Several hours later, as dusk fell, they arrived as a group at a massive castle. The guards opened the gates and a group of servants met them at the doors of the keep itself. Rin and Jaken vanished into the castle while Sesshomaru carried Elizabeth through the main doors. Eventually he came to a set of double doors inlaid with images of giant dogs. He pushed the doors open and entered the massive room. He laid a sleepy Elizabeth on the bed.

"Sleep now," he went to pull away but she grabbed his hand.

"Stay, please." She whispered as she gave a gentle tug on his trapped appendage.

"Alright," he agreed easily and laid beside her on the large bed. She curled against him, her head under his chin.

"Goodnight Sesshomaru," she murmured into his chest.

"Goodnight Elizabeth." Then he knew no more.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters-as much as I wish I did. All original characters are mine and I make no money off of this.

For the first time in several weeks Elizabeth woke up in a bed. Confused she attempted to sit up only to find to her surprise that she could not. A heavy and strong arm held her down. She turned her head to the side and found herself face to face with a sleeping Sesshomaru. He was beautiful as always (but she would never say he was beautiful to his face, instead she would use the word handsome, not wanting to offend him). She smiled softly at her sleeping love, content now to remain exactly where she was. Elizabeth, had she been capable of moving in that exact moment, would have done a little happy dance. She was incredibly happy. The events of the day before played through her mind's eye:

 _Elizabeth and Rin had gone to gather flowers and herbs (and to get away from an extremely annoying Jaken). They were only a short distance from the camp where Sesshomaru had left them, but just far enough that Jaken's pitiable moans at being left behind were slightly muffled. They had been happily collecting flowers (Rin) and herbs (Elizabeth) when a group of rough looking men approached them._

" _Well, lookie what we have here." Singsonged one of the men. "Two girls way out here in the woods far away from anyone."_

" _I think we hit the jackpot," laughed another of the men._

" _Rin, drop your flowers and go find Jaken," Elizabeth said quietly but firmly to the little girl. She nodded and ran off. Elizabeth began to back away slowly, not wanting to turn her back to the men._

" _Where ya goin' girlie?" Asked the singsong man."_

" _Back to my friends," Elizabeth answered calmly. Internally she was terrified and praying with all her might that Sesshomaru would return this instant._

" _Aww, but we was just getting to know each other, girlie. Why don't'cha stay a while with us? We'll be your friends,"_

" _Please leave me alone. I really have to get going."_

" _I don't think you understand what's going on here. This ain't up to you, we're gonna make you ours. Now c'mere."_

 _Shaking her head in denial, Elizabeth turned and ran like a bat out of hell. Unfortunately they had circled around her to some extent so they caught up to her quickly. One of them grabbed her around the waist and a few others pointed swords at her throat._

" _Now, let's try that again." The man holding her shifted to hold her by her arms and another used his sword to cut her shirt and pants._

" _Let me go!" Elizabeth yelled. She struggled as much as she could, but could not get free. "Jakes, get Rin away." She screamed at the top of her lungs._

 _Smack!_

 _One of the bandits slapped her hard across the face._

" _Shuddup! Or we'll go after the girl too!"_

" _Eh, why not get her too? We can go after her after we're done here!"_

 _By now Elizabeth was in a complete panic, so she did the only thing she could think of: she screamed for Sesshomaru._

" _Sesshomaru, please!"_

 _A blur of silver-white flashed down from the sky and yellow-green light destroyed the men holding her._

Elizabeth was pulled out of reminiscing by Sesshomaru shifting in his sleep. She was a little annoyed to have been pulled out of her reminiscing before she got to the good part. The part where Sesshomaru had said that he loved her.

"Good morning," she said softly. He grumbled and pulled her closer.

"Too early. Sleep more." She could hear his voice rumble in his chest.

"Okay sleepy-head, okay. Let's just go back to sleep, alright?"

She laid her head against his chest and wrapped her arm across his chest.

Sleep had just about taken her again when the doors flew open, crashing against the walls.

"Sesshomaru! What is this about a human woman?"

Sesshomaru rolled over Elizabeth and placed himself between her and the intruder.

"Enough, Mother." He said calmly.

"How dare you speak to me that way! You will speak to me with respect!"

"Mother, you burst into my chambers far too early in the morning, demanding to know about a human woman. I will speak to you however I choose right now. If you desire respect, please allow me to get dressed and take care of Elizabeth before you ask to talk to me." Sesshomaru stated coldly. His mother huffed angrily and swept out of the room.

Elizabeth pressed her hand against his chest.

"Sesshomaru, I'm fine," she reassured him. "Go talk to your mother, I'll go find Rin."

"No, there are things we must talk about Elizabeth."

She felt her heart sink at his words. Something bad was coming. He must have realized that she wasn't worth the trouble, that it wasn't a good idea to have a human as a mate. She pulled away from him and curled herself into a ball.

"Okay. I understand," Elizabeth said. "Go do your stuff. I'll wait here."

"Elizabeth?" He sounded confused. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"Something is definitely wrong. I can tell that much. I just wanted to talk to you about how we were going to deal with my mother and give you some kimonos."

Elizabeth felt hope swell in her chest a little. She hesitantly raised her head and looked him in the eyes.

"Really?"

"Do I not say what I mean?"

"Always," she replied with a small smile. He brought his hand up and placed it against her cheek.

"You are incredibly precious to me, Elizabeth. I will never abandon you regardless of the world thinks."

Elizabeth blushed furiously as she placed her hand atop his. She leaned towards him and gently pressed her lips to his.

"Thank you," she whispered as she pulled away.

He didn't let her pull too far away though. Gently placing his hand on the back of her head, he chased after her lips. She felt her heart soar at his actions. They kissed for several minutes, only pulling away for air briefly.

"Elizabeth," he murmured against her lips. "Elizabeth, we must stop. As much as I wish to continue and show you even more how I feel, we must stop to get some things done today."

"Alright…" She sighed and leaned her forehead against his. "I suppose we have to do stuff."

Sesshomaru guided her up off the bed. His haori was still loosely wrapped around her. The ties had come loose and it barely covered her modesty.

"Elizabeth…"

"What is it, Sesshomaru? Oh!" She looked down at herself and flushed. She quickly grabbed the edges of the haori and pulled it up around her shoulders. He went over to a chest against the wall and rummaged through it. He pulled out a simple blue-green kimono and held it out to her.

"Here, you can wear this."

"Oh, I couldn't take this! It's beautiful, too beautiful for someone like me." Elizabeth protested.

"What do you mean, someone like you?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Well, I'm only sort-of pretty, certainly not beautiful. And it's not like I'm anything special. I'm just an ordinary person."

"Elizabeth." He set down the kimono and drew her into his arms. "You are anything but ordinary. You are smart, beautiful, and talented. You have traveled through time and space. You are a genuinely good person, who can even manage to deal with Jaken."

Elizabeth looked up at Sesshomaru. She could feel tears threatening to spill over. Reaching up, she gently pulled him down into a sweet kiss.

"Thank you Sesshomaru," she whispered after pulling away. She laid her forehead against his shoulder. "No one has ever been as kind to me as you have been."

"They were fools who did not appreciate the wonder that you are." He gave a gentle squeeze. "Now, we must face my mother."

"Okay." She took the kimono when he offered it to her this time. "What should we expect?"

"Probably some very snide or rude comments about your heritage. But regardless of what she believes now, she will have to accept you. I refuse to leave you behind under any circumstances."

Sesshomaru stepped behind a screen as he dressed, giving Elizabeth some semblance of privacy.

After they were both dressed properly, he guided her out of the room and they made their way down the hall towards the dining room where Sesshomaru's mother awaited them.


End file.
